Department for Energy Security and Net Zero

Energy Charter Treaty

Baroness Hayman: To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the remarks byLord Callanan on 28 November 2023 when he stated that "we are reviewing our membership ... I am sure that we will want to act as quickly as possible" (HL Deb col 1018), when they intend to reach a decision about withdrawing from the Energy Charter Treaty.

Lord Callanan: The Government is considering the views of stakeholders in business, civil society, and Parliament and will inform Parliament of the outcome in due course.

Department of Health and Social Care

Medical Equipment: Storage

Baroness Wolf of Dulwich: To ask His Majesty's Government further to the Written Answers on 24 January byLord Markham (HL1769 and HL1770), how much the Department of Health and Social Care pays per pallet per week for equipment stored by NHS Supply Chain; whether the Department currently makes payments for storage to NHS Supply Chain other than, and in addition to, payments for the COVID Strategic Care Unit Reserve; and, if so, how many pallets were on average being paid for, per week, in 2023, over and above those storing the COVID Strategic Care Unit Reserve.

Lord Markham: We are unable to provide the information requested as it is commercially sensitive.

Food: Children

Baroness McIntosh of Pickering: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact that food consumption campaigns, such as “Drinka Pinta Milka Day”, have had on introducing children to healthy eating habits.

Lord Markham: We cannot comment on campaigns undertaken by other commercial companies or organisations. The Government’s nutrition campaigns, such as Better Health Families previously named Change4Life, have focused on sugar, specifically encouraging parents to decrease the amount of sugar their children consume.These campaigns have seen high claimed behavioural change as a result, as well as a measurable reduction in sugar consumption. For example: in 2019, 59% of all mothers of five to 11 year olds, or 89% of advert recognisers, said they took direct sugar-related action as a results of the campaign; in 2017, 64% of mothers reported making changes around sugar, saturated fats or salt as a result of our Be Food Smart campaign; a 2016 study of the Sugar Smart campaign showed that supermarket stores which featured Change4Life advertising saw a 3% to 4% difference in sales of sugary cereals, sugary drinks and diet drinks compared to the control stores, a trend which continued for 16 weeks after the campaign ended; and the 2014 Smart Swaps campaign led to a decrease of more than 8% in the purchase of sugary fizzy drinks during the campaign period, when compared with the previous year.For the assessment of our campaigns, we use an evaluation framework to holistically evaluate, measure success, and optimise. This framework examines the conditions in which campaigns operate, the cost of the campaigns, the activity undertaken and the resultant reach, the reaction to the campaign, the behaviour change achieved, whether claimed and actual, and the impact of the campaign on individuals.

Tobacco

Lord Young of Cookham: To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the remarks byLord Markham on 25 January (HL Deb col 845) when he stated that a levy on the profits of the tobacco industry would result in a net increase of "only about £25 million or so", what is the basis for that assertion.

Lord Markham: In the United Kingdom, smoking is responsible for approximately 80,000 deaths a year and causes approximately one in four cancer deaths. It also costs the UK £17 billion a year and puts a huge burden on the National Health Service. This is why, alongside our plans to create a smokefree generation, we are also supporting more smokers to quit by nearly doubling funding to local stop smoking services.In respect to the remarks made on 25 January 2024, these relate to a response to the Tobacco levy consultation published by HM Treasury in 2015. This cites HM Revenue and Customs analysis which, at the time, showed that a tobacco levy of £150 million would only raise £25 million. A copy of the Tobacco levy consultation is attached.However, the Department continues to work with HM Treasury regarding tobacco taxation and revenue. This includes reviewing options for the most effective way to raise additional funds to further support smoking cessation services moving forward.Tobacco Levy Consultation (pdf, 193.7KB)

Fractures: Health Services

Baroness Merron: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the correlation between the deprivation and availability of fracture liaison services.

Lord Markham: The Government has not made an assessment on the correlation between the deprivation and availability of fracture liaison services (FLS). The Fracture Liaison Service Database Annual Report 2023 examines differences in FLS performance based on age, gender and care home residence for 2021, a copy of which is attached. The Falls and Fragility Fracture Audit Programme is also planning to report on social deprivation and ethnicity in the future.FLS-DB 2023 annual report  (pdf, 3468.2KB)

National Institute for Health and Care Excellence: Medical Treatments

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: To ask His Majesty's Government when the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence's plans to report on the impact of changes to the health technology evaluation manual introduced in 2022.

Lord Markham: The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence’s (NICE) board considered a report on the implementation of the updated health technology evaluation manual, at its public meeting in December 2023. A copy of the report, Update on development, alignment and implementation of changes to NICE methods and processes, has been attached.december-23-pbm-methods and processes (docx, 75.0KB)

Innovative Medicines Fund

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: To ask His Majesty's Government when NHS England will start publishing quarterly activity updates on expenditure and patient notifications for the Innovative Medicines Fund.

Lord Markham: A report on expenditure and activity under the Innovative Medicines Fund for the period up to the end of 2023 will be released in Spring 2024, and at regular intervals thereafter.

Innovative Medicines Fund

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: To ask His Majesty's Government what is thebreakdown of utilisation of the Innovative Medicines Fund for (1) interim funding for medicines recommended by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, and (2) managed access, since June 2022.

Lord Markham: The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has not yet made a recommendation for managed access under the Innovative Medicines Fund (IMF), and so the fund has been used exclusively for interim funding to accelerate patient access to medicines recommended by NICE for routine commissioning. To date, four medicines have received interim funding through the IMF.

Abortion: Statistics

Lord Jackson of Peterborough: To ask His Majesty's Government how the policy of not collecting data on complications, via Abortion Notification System and Hospital Episode Statistics, arising from at home medical abortions after the patient’s discharge from the care of the abortion service, accords with the commitment to collect empirical data to women’s improve health outcomes as outlined in the Government’s Women’s Health Strategy for England.

Lord Markham: The Women’s Health Strategy sets out our ambitions to make better use of data already collected, and to address gaps in women’s health data to improve women’s health outcomes. The Department routinely publishes data on abortion complications reported via the Abortion Notification System. In addition, the Department committed to publishing a one-time analysis exploring whether Hospital Episode Statistics (HES) can be used as a supplementary source for data on abortion complications. The HES data in the publication includes abortion complications arising from any abortion which resulted in an inpatient admission. The Department is now inviting views from third parties on abortion statistics for England and Wales, including the future publication of abortion complications data, via an online user engagement survey and via email.

Abortion: Drugs

Lord Jackson of Peterborough: To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer byLord Markhamon 30 January (HL1523), what assessment they have made of the impact of the fact that analysis of abortion complications data published by the Department comparing (1) Abortion Notification System data on complications arising from at home medical abortions, and (2) Hospital Episode Statistics inpatient admissions data on abortion complications does not include treatment in both inpatient and outpatient settings following discharge from the abortion service.

Lord Markham: No assessment has been made, as high-quality data on outpatient treatment for abortion complications is not available. The analysis reviewed Abortion Notification System and Hospital Episode Statistics data on complications for all abortions. It did not specifically analyse data for complications following at home early medical abortions as Hospital Episode Statistics data on abortion complications does not record where the abortion was performed. Data completion on treatment of women as outpatients following a termination is considerably lower than the data for inpatient treatment. Including the incomplete outpatient data available in our analysis would have produced inaccurate results for this population.

Fractures: Health Services

Baroness Merron: To ask His Majesty's Government whether they have plans to set up an expert steering group on fracture liaison services.

Lord Markham: The Government recognises the value of quality-assured secondary fracture prevention services, including fracture liaison services (FLS). Over 3 million people are estimated to have osteoporosis in the United Kingdom, and over 500,000 patients present with fragility fractures to hospitals each year. On the 24 January 2023, we announced our plan to publish the Major Conditions Strategy: Case for change and our strategic framework. This strategy will explore how we can tackle the key drivers of ill-health in England, reduce pressure on the National Health Service and reduce ill-health related labour market inactivity. The strategy will focus on six major groups of conditions including musculoskeletal conditions, such as osteoporosis. Aligning work across several groups of conditions will allow us to focus on where there are similarities in approach and ensure care is better centred around the patient. As per the strategy, the Government will, together with NHS England, explore supporting the provision of fracture liaison services. This includes ongoing engagement with NHS England on musculoskeletal conditions such as osteoporosis as well as preventative interventions such as FLS. In addition, we engage with a range of groups and organisations across musculoskeletal conditions and those with lived experience.

Rare Diseases: Medical Treatments

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessmentthey havemade of the impact of changes to the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence's Methods and Process on patients with rare and ultra-rare diseases.

Lord Markham: A number of the changes made by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) to its methods and processes for health technology evaluation are expected to benefit medicines for rare diseases, including the introduction of a severity modifier and greater flexibility in responding to uncertainty. NICE has committed to assessing the impact of the changes on patients with rare diseases.Due to length of the medicine’s evaluation process and number of rare disease topics using older methods or processes, the analysis of the impact of changes will take some time to assess. Data is being collected which will allow, for example, the percentage of positive NICE recommendations made following old methods and processes compared with new methods and processes for rare diseases, to be assessed. NICE will be in a position to publish the impact of the 2022 manual changes in a report by the end of 2024.

Medical Records: Firearms

The Earl of Shrewsbury: To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer byLord Markham on 8 January (HL1364), how many GPs adopted those medical record markers since (1) the guidance onfirearm digital markers was produced, and (2) the memorandum of understanding was signed.

Lord Markham: The digital firearms marker was rolled out to all general practices in England in May 2023 and NHS England is exploring the most effective way to report on its use. Information is currently not available in a format to be able to provide this detail. The memorandum of understanding was signed in 2019, and therefore predates the digital marker and we do not hold data from that time.

Department for Education

Religion: Education

Baroness Sherlock: To ask His Majesty's Government, further to theOfsted Annual Report 2022/23: education, children’s services and skills, published on 23 November 2023, what plans they have to implement the recommendation contained in that report toensure curriculum publishers identify clearly what pupils will learn and when, in relation to religious education.

Baroness Sherlock: To ask His Majesty's Government, further to theOfsted Annual Report 2022/23: education, children’s services and skills, published on 23 November 2023, what plans they have to implement the recommendation contained in that report toclarify expectations about the level of religious education provision in schools.

Baroness Barran: Religious Education (RE) is an important part of a school’s curriculum and can contribute to a young person’s personal, social and academic development. When taught well, the subject develops children’s knowledge of British values and traditions, helps them to better understand those of other countries, and refines pupils’ ability to construct well-informed, balanced, and structured arguments. This is why it remains a compulsory subject in all state-funded schools in England for each pupil up to the age of 18. Whilst the department read Ofsted’s recommendations with interest, the department believes that RE curricula should continue to be designed at a local level, whether that is through locally agreed syllabuses or by individual schools and academy trusts developing their own curricula. It will remain for individual schools to plan, organise, and deliver their curriculum, so that local demographics can be appropriately accounted for. In maintained schools without a religious designation, Standing Advisory Councils for Religious Education (SACRE) should monitor the provision and quality of RE taught according to its agreed syllabus, together with the overall effectiveness of the syllabus. Academies are accountable for the quality of their curricular provision, including for RE. They can choose to adopt a locally agreed syllabus or develop its own, as long as it meets the requirements of a locally agreed syllabus. The department does, however, welcome the work that the Religious Education Council (REC) has done to assist curriculum developers by publishing its National Content Standard for RE in England. This is not in itself a curriculum but, without specifying precisely the content that schools should teach, provides a non-statutory benchmark against which syllabus providers and others could choose to inform and evaluate their work. To support teachers, and to ensure high standards and consistency in RE teaching, resources will be procured by Oak National Academy during the second tranche of its work. Oak will work closely with the sector and utilise sector experience when producing new materials for RE. This will ensure that high-quality lessons are available nationwide, benefitting both teachers and pupils, should schools opt to use them. Oak RE resources will be available for teaching from autumn 2024, with full packages expected to be available by autumn 2025.

Religion: Education

Baroness Sherlock: To ask His Majesty's Government, further to theOfsted Annual Report 2022/23: education, children’s services and skills, published on 23 November 2023, what plans they have to implement the recommendation contained in that report toimprove the provision of high-quality professional development for teachers of religious education.

Baroness Barran: Religious Education (RE) is an important part of a school’s curriculum and can contribute to a young person’s personal, social, and academic development. When taught well, the subject develops children’s knowledge of British values and traditions, helps them to better understand those of other countries, and refines pupils’ ability to construct well-informed, balanced and structured arguments. This is why is it remains a compulsory subject in all state-funded schools in England for each pupil up to the age of 18. Department officials read Ofsted’s 2023 report with interest. The department is already providing support for RE teaching in a number of ways. The department is offering a £10,000 bursary for RE trainee teachers starting Initial Teacher Training courses in the 2024/25 academic year. It has published this information on the ‘Get Into Teaching’ website and will be marketing the offer to prospective teachers through other channels. To support teachers when they are in post, and to ensure high standards and consistency of teaching, RE resources will be procured by Oak National Academy during the second tranche of its work. Oak will work closely with the sector and utilise sector experience when producing new materials for RE. This will ensure that high-quality lessons are available nationwide, benefitting both teachers and pupils, should schools opt to use them. Oak RE resources will be available for teaching from autumn 2024, with full packages expected to be available by autumn 2025. The department also continues to offer eight week subject knowledge enhancement (SKE) courses in the 2022/23 academic year for candidates who have the potential to become outstanding teachers but need to increase their subject knowledge. The eight week SKE course, available in religious education, can be undertaken on a full time or part time basis, but must be completed before qualified teacher status can be recommended and awarded. Eligible candidates could be entitled to a SKE bursary of £175 per week to support them financially whilst completing their SKE course.More information on these courses is available here: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/subject-knowledge-enhancement-an-introduction.

Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office

Nigeria: Christianity

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking through theirStrengthening Peace and Resilience in Nigeria (SPRiNG) programme to address attacks on Christians in that country, following the murder of a family of six who were burned alive on 23 January.

Lord Benyon: The UK Government condemns all incidents of violence against civilians in Nigeria. This affects all faith and non-faith communities, including Christians. The Strengthening Peace and Resilience in Nigeria programme (SPRING) will help Nigeria address the root causes of conflict in the Middle Belt and beyond by supporting and shifting incentives of stakeholders, so they are more willing and able to respond to conflict, security, justice and natural resource management challenges in target areas.

Tigray: Death

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask His Majesty's Government whatassessment they have made of reports bytheMekelle branch of the Ethiopian Ombudsman Institution on 24 January that in five camps of internally displaced people in Tigray, 900 had died due to starvation.

Lord Benyon: We are monitoring the situation closely, using a variety of sources of data to assess the level of need. We are committed to providing urgent support to those who need it most, and will continue to increase our funding for Ethiopia in the next financial year. This will bolster support to our lifesaving nutrition and health programming across Ethiopia, including Tigray.

Sudan: Cholera

The Earl of Sandwich: To ask His Majesty's Government, following reports from the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs that there have been almost 10,000 suspected cases of cholera in Sudan as of 20 January, what channels of assistance, if any, they are using to combat the outbreak; and what discussions they have had with other international partners as part of those efforts.

Lord Benyon: Due to the ongoing conflict, Sudan continues to grapple with mass displacement, disease outbreaks and malnutrition. The health system has been overwhelmed by attacks on health facilities and the scarcity of medical supplies, equipment, health workers and funds. The World Health Organization (WHO) is supporting Sudan with cholera treatments and direct support to cholera isolation centres. The UK is funding Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) and health activities in Sudan via the Sudan Humanitarian Fund, UNICEF and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). We are supporting the WHO's Global Outbreak Alert and Response Network and have deployed a senior epidemiologist to bolster the national response.

Ethiopia: Development Aid

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the remarks by UN Relief Coordinator on 19 January that the drought in northern Ethiopia requires "more funds and an urgent scale-up of the response"; and what is their response.

Lord Benyon: The UK is committed to providing support to the most vulnerable and those in desperate need in Ethiopia. We recognise that an up-scale in international assistance is vital to prevent this situation from deteriorating. That is why we will continue to increase our funding for Ethiopia in the next financial year, enabling us to further scale up our health, nutrition, water and sanitation, and protection programmes across Ethiopia, including in the north.

Africa: Abortion

Lord Jackson of Peterborough: To ask His Majesty's Government whatestimate they have made of public monies paid to Marie Stopes International to subsidise abortions carried out in (1) Kenya, and (2) each of the other African nations, over the past ten years; from what budget this was allocated; which Ministers authorised it; and what proportion of the total of UK aid delivered for these procedures in each of these countries such expenditure through Marie Stopes represented.

Lord Benyon: We report spend in line with Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) Development and Assistance Committee sector codes which do not track spend specifically for abortion services which are part of a wider package of women's healthcare. FCDO support to safe abortion services is within what is permitted by national laws, as well as providing life-saving treatment for women who have had unsafe abortions.MSI Reproductive choices is an important partner for the FCDO's comprehensive sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) work, including on our Women's Integrated Sexual Health Programme in Sub-Saharan Africa.The FCDO annually reports on Official Development Assistance (ODA) expenditure via the Statistics on International Development publications [https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/statistics-on-international-development]. All of our programmatic spend data can be found on the Devtracker website [https://devtracker.fcdo.gov.uk/]

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Animal Welfare: Northern Ireland

Baroness Hoey: To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have, if any, to ensure that Northern Ireland operates under the same animal welfare standards as the rest of the UK during transport.

Lord Douglas-Miller: Animal welfare in transport is a devolved matter, and we will continue to work closely with the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs in this area.

Reservoirs: Wales

Lord Wigley: To ask His Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with the Welsh Government with regard to the transfer of additional quantities of water from the reservoirs in Wales, or from rivers running from Wales to England, to meet increased water demand in South East England.

Lord Douglas-Miller: As agreed in the Intergovernmental Protocol on Water Resources, Water Supply and Water Quality, Defra and the Welsh Government work closely on water resources management. Water companies in England and Wales have a statutory duty to provide a secure supply of water for customers, efficiently and economically. Last year, regional water resources groups and water companies, consulted on their draft water resources plans. These plans set out how each company will secure water supplies sustainably for at least the next 25 years. Within their plans, water companies consider all options, including water demand management and new water resources infrastructure including water transfers. In the latest round of plans, no new additional quantities have been identified to be transferred from Wales to England. A summary can be found at gov.uk. Ofwat, the Environment Agency and Natural Resources Wales issued joint water resources planning guidance to water companies, which takes account of policy in England and Wales. They are also statutory consultees on the plans, as relevant. When reviewing the plans, the Environment Agency and National Resources Wales regularly meet to discuss proposals by water companies.

Pollution: Monitoring

Baroness Hayman of Ullock: To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer byLord Douglas-Miller on 3 January (HL1212), how many times in each of the past five years the Environment Agency has (1) undertaken an internal review, or (2) asked the Scottish Environment Protection Agency to carry out an external review, of a response to a specific pollution incident.

Lord Douglas-Miller: The Environment Agency proactively undertakes internal reviews of incidents to identify what went well so that good practice can be shared. It will also review what did not go well so that lessons are identified, and performance can be improved. All the most serious incidents are reviewed and all less serious incidents where significant operational impact has been identified. There are approximately 100 serious incidents each year. The table below shows the number of incidents each year which have undergone a routine internal review.  Internal Review20192672020270202132320222042023180  The Environment Agency asked SEPA to carry out a review of an incident near Windermere that occurred in June 2022. They have no records of any other referrals.

Housing: Floods

The Earl of Clancarty: To ask His Majesty's Government how many homes (including their gardens) built in the past (1) 5, (2) 10, and (3) 25, years have been subject to weather-related flooding on one or more occasions.

Lord Douglas-Miller: Defra and the Environment Agency does not hold this data at national level. Lead Local Flood Authorities (LLFA) investigate reports of flooding under Section 19 of the Flood and Water Management Act. The Environment Agency’s annual flood and coastal erosion risk management report includes information on significant flooding and coastal events in England. The reports can be found at GOV.UK.

Department for Transport

High Speed 2 Line

Lord Truscott: To ask His Majesty's Government whether, in the light of current cost increases, they intend to review the business case for HS2.

Lord Davies of Gower: Work has begun on an updated Business Case for the HS2 programme. This will be published in due course.

Treasury

Public Expenditure

Lord Wigley: To ask His Majesty's Government what plans, if any, they have to modify the Barnett formula for financial year 2024–25 and subsequent financial years, to reflect the changing needs of (1) Northern Ireland, (2) Scotland, and (3) Wales.

Baroness Vere of Norbiton: There are currently no plans to modify the operation of the Barnett formula. The Barnett formula has stood the test of time because it is simple, efficient and provides a clear and certain outcome. Overall, the devolved administrations’ funding is at least 20% more per person than equivalent UK Government spending in other parts of the UK.

Ministry of Defence

Marines: Defence Equipment

Lord Empey: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the ability of the Royal Marines to fulfil their duties, given their current level of equipment and personnel.

The Earl of Minto: The Royal Marines (RM) have been undergoing transformation through the Future Commando Force (FCF) programme. The FCF programme was fully endorsed at the Integrated Review 21 and reaffirmed at the Integrated Review Refresh and the Defence Command Plan 23. Significant enhancements have already been delivered, most visibly new vehicles, radios, uniforms and most recently new rifles. The Secretary of State has commissioned a plan with a scope that will encompass how the Royal Marines work and capabilities can be bolstered and enhanced to protect Britain from a world that is growing more dangerous. While undergoing this transformation, the RM continue to deploy globally, delivering disproportionate impact for a formation of their size.

Department for Business and Trade

Small Businesses: Government Assistance

Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to support small firms struggling financially as a result of adverse economic conditions.

Lord Offord of Garvel: Small and medium sized businesses are the backbone of our economy, driving economic growth. The Department for Business and Trade continues to deliver over 40 support schemes that help businesses start, grow and export. At the Autumn Statement, my Rt Hon Friend the Chancellor announced further support for SMEs over the next five years. This support can be accessed through local Growth Hubs, Help to Grow and a dedicated Business Support Helpline. In addition, The British Business Bank improves access to finance to help businesses invest and grow. It currently supports over £12.4bn of finance to over 90,000 businesses.